Lords of Darkness and Shadow Read Online Free

That would keep me comfortable while I recover.”
    Brandt’s eyebrows shot up. “One hundred crowns?” he echoed. Then he removed Ellowyn’s hands from his wrist and extended them towards the knight. “Take her instead. You can sell her to the highest bidder and regain your compensation.  Or you can simply have her work it off, for I am not paying you one hundred gold crowns.”
    Both the knight and Ellowyn looked at him, shocked. Before the knight could reply, Ellowyn yanked her hands out of Brandt’s grasp.
    “He cannot sell me,” she raged. “How dare you suggest such a thing.”
    Brandt realized he was fighting off a grin as he faced off against a yet again very angry Ellowyn de Nerra.  He’d never seen her any other way and wasn’t hard pressed to admit he found it entertaining.
    “I can do anything I wish,” he told her. “I am your husband, am I not? I am not paying that man one hundred gold crowns, so he can take you instead.  Perhaps next time you will think twice before assaulting a man.”
    Ellowyn’s beautiful face turned shades of red. “You...,” she seethed, backing away from both Brandt and the knight. “You... you barbarian . You beast! I will not let you do this, do you hear? You have no right.”
    Brandt bit his lip to keep from grinning, for he’d never in his life seen anyone so angry. “I have every right.  If I want to sell you, I will. You have been far too much trouble since the moment I met you so perhaps this will teach you a lesson. You will be his problem now, not mine.”
    Ellowyn had backed into the table that contained the remains of her meal.  Infuriated beyond reason, she grabbed the first thing she could reach and hurled it at Brandt’s head.  The wooden wine cup went sailing through the air, barely missing him. As he bobbed out of the way, Ellowyn picked up the nearly empty pitcher of wine and slung it at the knight, hitting him squarely in the chest.  Wine sprayed everywhere, but there was no time to wipe it away, because now the fork was flying at them and the remains of the bread.  Whatever Ellowyn could get her hands on when flying at Brandt and, if she thought about it, the bloodied knight.  But mostly at Brandt; she was singling him out for a particular brand of hatred at the moment and he was going to feel her wrath.
    Brandt couldn’t help the grin on his lips now. Lady Ellowyn was having a full-fledged tantrum and he ducked a platter as he made his way over to her.  The closer he got, the more furious she became.  By the time he reached her, she was trying to throw a stool but he yanked it out of her hands.  Bending at the waist, he tossed her up onto his shoulder and headed for the door.
    “Call my wife a cow again and you forfeit your life,” he made a point of making eye contact with the foolish knight. “Consider the fact that you retain your life this night the only compensation you shall receive from me.”
    The knight didn’t say a word, watching rather wide-eyed as Brandt carted the snarling lady out of the inn.  The last he saw, the big man had planted a trencher-sized hand on her bottom, causing her to howl.  They could hear her howling once or twice more outside.
    Ellowyn was howling because his swat bloody well hurt.  She was not only in tantrum mode, she was also in panic mode. Brandt had her out in the street, marching across the muddy avenue as he spanked her soundly, not once but at least four times. She could hear men cheering and laughing, and it only served to fuel her agitation. 
    Finally, Brandt moved to set her on her feet.  Realizing that he was releasing her, Ellowyn started smacking at him as he set her down, hitting him on his vulnerable ear and neck.  But Brandt didn’t react; he simply set her to her feet as she took a few more angry swings at him.
    “You brute!” she hissed. “You... you uncivilized fiend! I will never forgive you for this, do you hear me? Never! ”
    Brandt drew in a long breath, still